Combat concepts

Longest weapon to closest target

This is a combat concept.

It means what it says:

Use your low lead kick to hit the opponent's leg as he steps into range.

Use your lead jab to his face, or eye jab to the eye as he moves in.



That "coffee table" moment

This is a combat concept.

You have all had that experience where you've "barked" your shin on the coffee table when crossing the room in a hurry. It makes you forget what you were originally rushing to do and focusses all your attention on the site of the pain.

In combat we strike kokutsu, the shinbone, with a hard kick, to give him that "coffee table moment". It makes him forget all about attacking us.


Buffalo eyebrow

This is a combat concept.

One of our primary concepts is that we defend angles of attack rather than worry about specific weapons or what style the attacker trains in.

The strike that comes in to the left side of your head is angle #1. You defend it with the appropriate block.

It doesn't matter if the attacker is:

a "street fighter" throwing a haymaker
a boxer throwing a hook
a karate stylist throwing a shuto
another stylist throwing a ridge hand
throwing a crane beak
throwing a "buffalo eyebrow"
or anything else

"Buffalo eyebrow" is of course made up. It's not a real technique (as far as we know!)

It provokes laughter when we cover this concept in class and that helps you remember it.


Lin Sil Die Dar

This is a combat concept.

It means similtanous block and strike.

We have various ways of practicing this.
It's harder to do, but more effective than "block then punch".


The Fence

This is a combat concept.

Keep your hands between you and the attacker, as a protective "fence" around your property.

Keep him at arms length so he has to close the gap to attack you.

Don't just stand there with your arms by the side - get in a bladed stance and get your fence up.

You can then line him up for your Pre-Emptive strike.



The Pre-Emptive Strike

This is a combat concept.

This is when you have an attacker on The Fence at the Verbal Phase.

He's busy telling you what he's going to do to you, before he launches his attack - which will probably be a right hand punch.

He is in your space, making threatening behaviour.
He is committing common assault.

You have the LEGAL RIGHT to hit him once in Self Defence if you think your safety is threatened - if you honestly believe you feel afraid for your safety.

Hit hard - hit fast - hit first!


Double tap

This is a combat concept.

Against 2 opponent's, get them lined up during the verbal phase and then treat them like two focus mitts - land a cross to each of them.

This is very effective in a live situation.

Sometimes the second shot is not as clean as you'd like, but then you just go into a followup in a one one one.

Red letter day

This is a combat concept.

Against three or more attackers.

Think of them like bills coming through your door on the same day. You don't rush to pay the one that's the first bill - you rush to pay the red letter, the final demand that threatens to cut you off.

Out of the 3 attackers, one will be the main man, the other will be his 2 mates backing him up.

Take out the main man - the "red letter" with a pre-emptive KO.

Then you can hit the next two with a double tap.

Sometimes it won't work out clean - you get the second man and end up in a grapple with the third, but that's OK, coz you're now one on one.

Sometimes the third man wil back right out of range when the first two go down, which is fine as well - let him run away.


Dealing with 5 or more attackers

This is a combat concept.

This is maybe the most difficult scenario and is a matter of spirit before tactic before technique.

Very few people can really fight through 5 attackers. I have seen it done, but that is an exceptionally well trained and tough person and a lot of luck.

The first thing to do is change your mind set:
there is actually no such thing as being attacked by 5 people.

You are being attacked by one plus one plus one plus one plus one.

The main man will be coming for you and his mates will be folowing him.

If he takes you down, they will all follow his lead and pile in.

You have to reverse this.

The best method is to double tap the main man and the closest of his mates.

BANG! BANG!
"Who's f**king next?!!"

Now, if all 3 rushed you they would cause you a problem.

But you are not dealing with THREE people. You are dealing with
one plus one plus one.

Each ONE of them is thinking "Not me" and backing off.

The Karate kata Jutte means "Ten hands" - meaning the ability to fight opponent's at once. It is the 2nd dan kata. This is where our spirit, tactics, and LASTLY techniques can be found.





The Jerry Springer syndrome

This is a Combat Concept.

You've seen the Jerry Springer Show where "guests" on stage are arguing, the argument escalates until they are really shouting, then BANG they go at each other and they go straight to Vertical Grappling phase, with other people trying to pull them apart.

This is how most real fights happen, certainly in pubs and clubs.

You have the verbal stage of build up before the BANG into VG - that's JS Syndrome.

In clubs I manage - I am always the Head Doorman where I work, I never work on somebody else's team with somebody else's rules and methods - I stand so I can watch the bar, the dance floor, and the seating area. I watch for changes in movement that are precursors to a fight.

Have you ever been in a club where a fight suddenly kicks off and the bouncers are already there pulling the aggressors apart, while the rest of the security team are monitoring their friends to make sure it doesn't turn into an all out brawl?

Well that's how we do it - the Head Door will watch for JS Syn and order his bouncers to "dance floor" or "bar" as appopriate. We know these guys will be in a fight before they do.

In SD it is important not to get into JS Syn yourself - avoid the whole verbal stage. Keep the attacker on the Fence and keep calm, keep a cool head. Take him out with a pre-emptive strike while he's still in the verbal stage.

All bouncers who have seen JS Syn from the third person POV will recognise it from the Defensive POV and know how to deal with it.

At STMA we pass this knowledge onto you, so you can apply it when needed.


Blow before throw - atemi

This is a combat concept.

In Jujutsu and grappling we practice throws.

But for VT and street we lead into a throw with a strike - an atemi. This causes pain and distracts the opponent from resisting and countering.

In a clinch, we might use HKE before a throw. A knee before turning into uchi mata is a good example. A head before o soto gari is another.


Third point

This is a combat concept.

(Skillfully avoiding the obvious jokes) nobody has 3 legs like a stool or a tripod.

If you wobble a tripod it's balance will redistribute to the 3rd leg.
Wobble a person and they have to either step to where the third leg isn't or they fall over.

This is Third Point theory - the place where there is no leg.

Throw your opponent to the third point without allowing him to step to regain his balance and he will fall that way.